Worship Devotional CXLI
Our God Is Greater
Worship Devotional from 10/16/22
1 Chronicles 29:11-13:
“Yours, Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the splendor and the majesty, for everything in the heavens and on earth belongs to You. Yours, Lord, is the kingdom, and You are exalted as head over all. Riches and honor come from You, and You are the ruler of everything. Power and might are in Your hand, and it is in Your hand to make great and to give strength to all. Now, therefore, our God, we give You thanks and praise Your glorious name.”
Greater than sorrow, greater than fear, greater than all the forces and powers of evil, greater than death itself. That’s who our God is. He can only be greater, because He alone is God, the Eternal Creator of the heavens and the earth and everything that exists. He is the Author of all time, the Source of all that is good, the Sustainer of the whole universe. He began it all, and He will bring about the end of time. He reigns above all in total sovereignty, with all power and authority, before all time and forever. He Himself had no beginning and will have no end. In every changing season and turning of times, He remains, true and faithful forever, the One who defines what is true, what is right, and what is good. As Moses declared in Psalm 90:2:
“Before the mountains were born, before You gave birth to the earth and the world, from eternity to eternity, You are God.”
So what is our excuse? Why do we fear lesser things? We and all the things we fear are all together under the sovereign rule and authority of the One who is greater. There is only One who should be feared — the Almighty and Sovereign King of kings and Lord of lords, the living God, the Creator and Judge of all. He alone sets the standard for truth, righteousness, justice, goodness, and love. When evil comes against us, seeking to destroy that which God has made and declared valuable, we can entrust our lives to Him who is greater than all our enemies. God will prove His greatness again and again in the sight of the nations as He has over and over throughout all of history. He will show His greatness in His power to heal and save and deliver, in His power to provide for His people, and in His great love which He has lavished upon us in Christ Jesus, His Son. 1 John 3:1 tells us:
“Look at how great a love the Father has given us that we should be called God’s children. And we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it didn’t know Him.”
God has put His greatness on display by showing His great love through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross to bear the punishment for our sins though He Himself had done no wrong, offering salvation by grace through faith in Him to all people of every nation, blessing all who will believe with eternal life! There is no other proper response but to stand in awe of the living God and believe in His great name, surrendering our whole being to the praise and glory of His name. But He did not stop displaying His greatness in the sight of all creation with this one great act of redemption, for through that act He has indeed redeemed us who believe, and He has made us new and whole in Him. Now that we have been reconciled to our God and Father in heaven, His Spirit has come to dwell within our hearts, to sanctify and guide us in the truth and to strengthen and empower us to live our remaining time on this earth for God’s glory. The Spirit of our great God now abides within us! He is always with us through anything and everything we face! This is why we have absolute assurance that we walk in victory and that our great hope will never fail, for the One who is with us and in us always is the One who is greater than all, the very Originator and Sustainer of the whole universe. 1 John 4:4 assures us:
“You are from God, little children, and you have conquered them, because the One who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.”
We learn from Paul’s example in Philippians 4:12-13:
“I know both how to have a little, and I know how to have a lot. In any and all circumstances I have learned the secret of being content — whether well fed or hungry, whether in abundance or in need. I am able to do all things through Him who strengthens me.”
Furthermore, when the rich young man in Matthew 19:16-30 approached Jesus asking what he must do to inherit eternal life, he went away grieving after hearing the command to leave behind his worldly belongings and possessions. The deceitfulness of worldly wealth had such a hold on his heart that he could not overcome it with his will or ability. Jesus then told his disciples it was impossible for the rich to enter God’s kingdom, to which they responded with utter astonishment, not understanding what He meant. Look at Jesus’ response to this in verse 26:
“But Jesus looked at them and said, ‘With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.’”
Until the final Day of God’s judgment, when this age is brought to an end and the deceiver is finally cast down to the fires of hell to be punished for all eternity, the enemy has a hold for now on the world. There is great deception and temptation to do evil and to sin against the Holy One, which we all must battle in this life. Without the Spirit of God with us to strengthen and to guide and to help us in our time of need, we could never stand on our own. Jesus even used the word “impossible.” So how great a testimony to the greatness of our God it is when the impossible is made possible by the strength only He can give! As we sing and praise God for His greatness, may we open our eyes by faith to behold the countless testimonies that God has given to His creation, so that we may give glory in all things to the only One who is truly great and who is truly worthy of praise.
Psalm 150:1-2:
“Hallelujah! Praise God in His sanctuary. Praise Him in His mighty heavens. Praise Him for His powerful acts; praise Him for His abundant greatness.”
Themes: The Greatness of God, Awe, Wonder, Honor, Glory, Power, Hope, God’s Sovereignty, Light
Songs:
Scripture references:
Genesis 1
Deuteronomy 10:12-21
1 Chronicles 29:11-13
Job 38-41
Psalms 8, 19, 33, 65, 86, 90, 95, 96, 104, 115, 135, 145-148, 150
Isaiah 40
Matthew 19:26
Romans 8, 11:33-36
1 Corinthians 8:6
Philippians 4:12-13
Colossians 1:15-20
1 Timothy 6:15-16
Hebrews 12:28-29
James 1:16-18
1 John 4:4
Revelation 1:8, 4-5, 7, 15:3-4